Aristotle Jones combines the soulful pocket of Black American Music with folksy storytelling about growing up in Appalachia. Jones’ music and stories overflow with love for his family and natural surroundings as he shines a light on the contribution to art in culture provided by Black Americans living in the Appalachian Mountains.

Known regionally by his stage name the “Appalachian Soul Man,” he continues to gain support for his creative work, community involvement, and historical research. He is the recipient of the 2023 Black Appalachian Storyteller Fellowship, the 2024 Mid-Atlantic Arts Living Traditions Experience Grant, and the 2024–2025 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship. ​

Tucked within his creative works are the values of courage, fortitude, and determination that were taught to him while porch picking with his grandfather, a coal miner and gospel singer who performed in the segregated coal camps in West Virginia. 

Today, he performs as a solo artist or with his ensemble and leans into the genre blending aspects of rural life. Coining the sound "Appalachian Soul,” his repertoire combines elements of soul, folk, jazz, and blues with old-time, folk, and gospel music and retraces the routes of the "Chit'lin Circuit," unearthing a network of juke joints, theaters, and churches throughout the American South friendly to Black performers in the Jim Crow Era South.  

Jones sets the scene with vivid and immersive storytelling that utilizes traditional and original music to evoke the emotional response from his audience, connecting them to overlooked branches of American history and culture.